There is a wonderful scene in the musical Paint Your Wagon which includes a song about the howling wind which the gold miners call Mariah. Here it is if you want to hear it. It passed through my head a number of times today. Why? Read on

It rained all night. The wind blew hard all night. Mist covered the hill tops. The trees swayed in the wind.

The morning dawned wet and gloomy. It was not an auspicious start to the day. Never the less move we must. We rose early for it was 13 miles to get to our next stop at the Kingshouse hotel and bunkhouse. To get there we had to climb up to and cross Rannoch Moor. Said to be the remotest and wildest part of the way with no escape routes for 10 miles, the guide book says come prepared for the weather can turn notoriously cruel.

How do you cope with that? Why start with a good breakfast. So we did. Porridge and honey, some fruit and cups of tea,

We set off by crossing the bridge of Orchy straight into a climb as we had to get over a ridge into the next valley. Porridge power got me over. The trail was wet and slippery and a few light rain showers swept over us from the SW. 

The wind was strong and gusty.

Over the ridge we dropped down to pass the old Inveroran Hotel on Loch Tulla. Here the famous poets Samuel Colleridge and Dorothy Wordsworth stayed for inspiration.

We passed Victoria Bridge and joined the old cobbled cattle drovers road that climbed up onto the Black Mount.

The wind and rain swept in again forcing us to take shelter and get our ponchos on. Now we were wearing every piece of bad weather gear we had.

We left the shelter of the few trees around and headed out onto Rannoch moor. It is a desolate place of bogs and peat. No shelter anywhere. The driving showers of rain blew horizontal making our faces sting. Then the sun came out and dried us off before the next showers came whistling by. We took shelter behind some large stones out of the wind to eat a snack bar and take some water. 

It was hard going. The Drovers road is made of cobbles and stone and the old carriage and wagon ruts are still clearly visible to this day. The trail descends into a bowl of granite gouged out by an ice cap 12,000 years ago that holds the water in which the moor lies.

Across the moor the track climbs again out the other side to a height of 1460 ft, 445 metres. The worst of the weather had blown through. The scenery was staggeringly beautiful. A vast natural amphitheatre of mountains opened up on our left.

The scenery is dominated by the massive structure of Buachaille Etive Mòr. The Great Herdsman of Etive guarding the entrance to Glen Etive.

Our accommodation tonight and tomorrow night for we are taking a day out to recover, is the Kingshouse Hotel lying at the foot of this magnificent mountain.

This was a tough day. Hard underfoot due to the rough cobbles and loose stone for miles on end. It was wet. Wet and windy and gusty as a low pressure moved through. But we did it. A hot bath is needed and a radiator to dry our clothes off. 

We will take a rest day to get some laundry done, rest our feet as they are complaining at the moment and make ourselves ready for the climb up the Devils Staircase to the highest point of the trail on the next leg to Kinlochleven.

I have really impressed by all the places we have stayed at. maybe the Buchanan Arms in Drymen was a wee bit tired and inside was far too hot but overall the places we have stayed at have been very good.

So it was with the Craigbank Guesthouse in Crianlarich run by Veronica and Colin. Lovely warm couple. Spotless room, super comfy bed and a lovely breakfast set us up for the walk to Bridge Of Orchy 13 miles away. 

The main concern today was that we wanted to arrive at the Bridge of Orchy Hotel where we will spend the night, before 16:00 as there is a large band of heavy rain expected to move across. We wanted to arrive before it to avoid getting wet.

It had rained overnight and so we set off on a damp morning with a bit of a chill in the air. Autumn is here in the Highlands.

We retraced our steps to the old military road and got to the hallway point at Tyndrum fairly easily. We were on time. 

The old military road is really hard underfoot and is quite punishing on tired feet. The cobbles have broken up in places to make matters worse. But the rain stayed away.

The scenery here is of mountains and high peaks covered in heather and scrub grasses. Trees are around but tended to be in forest plantations. There is not much left of the ancient Caledonian forest that once covered these parts. The peaks of Beinn Dorain and Beann An Dòthaidh dominate the skyline. The Way skirts along their feet into Bridge of Orchy. Numerous streams run down from the peaks. We cross them. They gurgle beneath our feet as they race down to join the River Orchy.

It is not hard to imagine the horses and carts and soldiers of the English Army marching along these roads. They have not changed since they were built. They are constructed with big stones first then smaller stones with a topping of gravel all packed down to form a hard road bed. The majority have stood the test of time.

The driver of a freight train running the opposite way to us poked his arm out of his cab window and gave us a wave. We waved back to him.

The hotel is a whitewashed building and comes into sight as we crest the last hill and a welcome sight it is as the light fades and dark clouds move in.

This evening my lower legs are a bit sore and my feet are complaining. Mountain candy will do it. That’s one Ibuprofen and one paracetamol tablet taken together. The name mountain Candy we learned from a US Marine who we walked part of the Camino with. He told us that when they had to march in the mountains of Afghanistan they took mountain Candy to dull the pain. If it is good enough for the US Marines it is good enough for me.

I took a short walk to where the wild campers were setting up on the other side of the actual Bridge of Orchy and warned them of the coming weather. They knew about it. I wished them well. I returned to our little nest for the night.

I had a terrific nights rest. All that rambling about climbing over rocks and twisted tree roots had taken its toll. After a nice cold beer, a dinner of steak pie and apple crumble I hit the sack at 9pm and slept through until my alarm at 7am.

My Garmin says I had a poor sleep. I disagree. 

It was a much cooler morning. The dew was heavy.  I spared a thought for the campers as their tents and gear must be thoroughly damp after that night. 

We set out just after 9am in the chill morning air and a blue sky above. I felt good. The body appeared to be in good shape. No aches and pains. Blisters all healed. After yesterday this promised to be a good day.

The first part of the way took us up Glen Falloch alongside the Falloch River. There were waterfalls aplenty and lots of nice calm pools of water where the trout were eyeing me walking past. Pity I did not have my fly fishing rod with me! Whenever we stopped the midges started biting again. Debbie went into full combat mode again with head net and full spray. The scenery has changed to high peaks covered in heather and sheep. A gentle wind blew along the valley carrying the scent of damp vegetation.

The bracken here was not so high and gave way to moorland pasture where sheep grazed. There was wildlife all around us if you took the time to stop and look. We were passed by many walkers in a rush to get miles under their feet. We stopped and looked at a stunningly beautiful butterfly called a peacock stood on the head of what I think was a Scabious flower. I was reaching for my camera. Debbie told me to stop and just look at it in case my movement scared it away. She was right for we were passed my some other walkers and the butterfly flew away. I dont have a picture but here is what they look like.

We stopped on a grassy knoll at the side of the path for a drink and a protein bar. A young man with a big pack came by and was limping so we asked him if he was ok. He said he was fine. Just struggling a little. So we told him to rest with us a while. He was an Italian man called Matteo from Trieste. We talked and he moved on thanking us for saying hello.

The way then followed along on the old military road that was constructed by General Wade then Major Caulfield back in 1742. These were roads built to move the British Army quickly to the Highlands to control the Jacobites. The roads still exist to this day. Most abandoned to walkers and sheep as the new roads run close by on modern surfaces.

We then dropped down into Crianlarich where we stopped at a local Cafe to have a cup of tea as we were too early to arrive at our B+B. We had made it to the halfway point of the way. Whilst drinking my tea, two young lads came by. We saw them pass us earlier in the day. The taller one was clearly having a problem with one of his feet. I asked him if he was ok. He said he had a bad blister on his left heel. I offered to take a look but he was a bit embarrassed so I told him to sit and I gave him one of my big blister plasters from my 1st aid kit and told him to use it. I also showed him how to tie his boot properly to stop it rubbing. He had them much too loose. He went on his way and thanked me. “How do you know all this” he said. “I walked the Camino and learned the hard way” I said. 

At this juncture I noticed that my old faithful walking stick that had seen me right along the 900 Kms Camino and the West Highland Way to this point was ill. The stick is in 3 parts that screw together so it is easily taken apart to transport. The lower ferrule had come loose. The bottom section was about to fall off. The situation was dire. No way to fix it here I thought. We passed a Police station under construction. One of the workers headed to a van saying he was an electrician. I thought aha. Electrical tape will do it. So I asked him whether I could buy a roll of electrical tape and showed him my dilemma. He said he had something better and gave me a roll of duct tape. He helped me fix it. He would not take anything for it. He said he had been kind to me so I should be kind to someone else. I told him about the guy I helped with a blister plaster. He said this was payment for that. Be kind people.

Tomorrow is a long 13 mile walk to Bridge of Orchy. The weather looks nasty from 16:00 onwards so we will need to start early and get a move on.

The rain had passed through overnight. The morning dawned with mist on the mountains, heavy clouds and the sun peeping through. Paul and Kelly our hosts at the Garrison of Inversnaid had prepared us a magnificent breakfast and after the best nights rest so far we set off for Inverarnan some 8 miles up the Loch to our north.

The trail leaves the Inversnaid hotel and meanders through the woods at the waters edge for around ¼ mile to an old boathouse. The views across the loch were magnificent. The sun peeped through the clouds dancing on the far hills. Every now and then a light shower passed down the loch.

“This is not so bad” we thought. Then it started. What had been a prepared trail now turned into a rock scramble up and down. Round huge rock outcrops adorned with oak, elm and alder. It was slippery, muddy and very slow going.

This went of for 6 miles. My Garmin gave our progress as less than a mile an hour. It was torture. The young people passed us leapt from rock to rock. We picked our way step by step as knees and hips let us know their thoughts on the matter. We are both over 60 and this was rough going. I don’t remember it being like this.

Debbie in full Midgy protection mode. They were relentless today. As soon as we stopped for water or a rest, clouds of them were around you, biting. The so called repellant was useless. Clearly nobody told the flies that they were supposed to stay away. I have no idea why midges were invented other than to torment tourists and locals alike.

Debbie as usual did not hold back on her thoughts on the matter. I got regular updates on those thoughts. Then it rained. Of course it did. We put our ponchos on. We slowed even further. “Why the hell are we doing this… remind me again” said my companion of nearly 40 years. After considering my reply carefully all I could muster was “Ummmm?”.

A mountain goat would have been tested here.

Then it rained some more. Eventually we cleared the rock scramble and took the trail down to the waters edge and then up higher into the bracken which is at shoulder height. It was dripping wet. My waterproof boots clearly are not.

The Drovers Inn at Inverarnan could not come soon enough. 

My garmin tells me we have walked 13.18 kms in 7 hrs 42 minutes. My average heart rate was 101 beats per minute. I am still alive. I deserve a beer.

I have logged onto the wifi at the Drovers inn. Built in 1705. The inn. Not the wifi. The password is HauntedInn. No damn ghost can deprive me of my sleep I hope. We had a great dinner with some local brewed beer to set us for the night. Tomorrow we head to Crianlarch. The half way point.

Today we head for Inversnaid.

It is only 7 miles away. The first part should be pretty easy going but the second half is described as challenging. What does that mean? You can’t say challenging in a book without a because…..

We ate another good breakfast. We were the last to leave. Our bunkhouse companions were two English youngsters, 18 and 20, who are running the trail in chunks of 25 miles a day. How on earth they do it I will never know, a dutch girl, a german chap and a Scottish truck driver who was told to get fit by his doctor. He looked pretty damn fit to me.

We set of into another calm and humid morning. It was overcast. Rain was forecast for later in the day but it was going to be light rain.

We passed a house the owners of which had built a little honesty kiosk full of goodies. There was home baking, drinks, crisps and snacks and all on a honesty basis. You took what you wanted and put your money in a tin. A sign on their gates reminded us of the distance still to go. As if we needed reminding.

The easy going path snaked its way in more ancient forests. These appear to be the oldest so far. It was totally silent and gloomy. Nothing stirred. We often stopped and just looked around us and into the depths of the forest. It was like a filmset from Lord of the Rings but this was real. Damp mosses and lichens carpeted the forest floor. Fungi grew on rotting tree stumps. Water dripped and gurgled its way down to the loch way below. Our view of the loch was totally obscured. This was full on sensory immersion.

I came across a leaf hanging in mid air right in from of my face . It was hanging on an invisible spiders silk thread. It looked like the leaf was suspended in mid air. I had to pretend to do a little magicians trick. If you look carefully at the photo you can spot the leaf.

We sat. We walked.

Then we hit the challenging bit. It was just as described. We scrambled the last few kilometres over tree roots, along thin ledges, up and around outcrops of rock, up and down steep gradients. We had to watch each footfall. Debbie cursed. Then cursed some more. Our progress slowed to a crawl in places. 

The reward at the end was crossing a footbridge over the Inversnaid water fall and our arrival at the Inversnaid hotel. Whilst this was not our accommodation, we did take lunch and cups of tea to pass time as we were too early to check into our own accommodation a mile up the valley at the Garrison of Inversnaid. It also aided in the recovery of sore muscles.

Whilst in the hotel we noticed some people coming in with rain gear on. We thought we were going to get wet. Fortunately when the time came for us to leave the rain had stopped. We set off on the climb up the road to our accommodation. Then it was like somebody had turned a tap on. The heavens opened and before we managed to get our rain gear on we were soaked. Debbie cursed again. We trudged in wet boots and clothes to our accommodation which is an old 1718 ex British Army garrison but following the Jacobite uprising. A hot shower awaits. Tomorrow we head to Inverarnan. We have a bit more of the ‘challenging’ path to do first thing.

The title? Well it is a well known song of the same name. Here it is if you really want to listen to it.

We had a lovely dinner at the Oak Tree inn last night. Followed by an equally good breakfast this morning. A decent breakfast sets you up for the day. Today would be our first real taste of Loch Lomond. This part of the way will take us from Balmaha to Rowardennan.  Our destination is the Ben Lomond bunkhouse run by the National Trust for Scotland.

Leaving Balmaha you come across a prominent figure. He is Tom Weir. A prominent figure in the region. More by clicking his name.

Leaving Balmaha behind the path climbs very sharply to a lookout point. Having puffed our way to the top there was no view due to mist and low cloud. So we puffed our way down again to find that there was a path around the hill that was no sign posted but we could have taken and saved ourselves the effort first thing in the day. Never mind.

We stopped for a rest and a drink in the carpark at a bay on the Loch popular with campers and holiday makers. As we sat on the bench we saw two people I guess in their 80s smoking a cigarette sat on the tailgate of their 4×4 car. The gent was dressed in a day kilt with socks and brogues. He was very dapper. After they had finished smoking he came over and said “its lovely to see you walking with your daughter! hello my dear” and talked to Debbie what a smoothie. He was so charming. He gave us a brief chat about where we were, some history and put his hat on Debbie. She of course loved it. he bade us farewell as he had to continue on our way. I loved our brief encounter.

The path is quite well maintained and meanders its way through beautiful old woodlands. You can smell the oxygen first thing in the morning. It was uplifting.

Much of the woodland is under regeneration where non natives are being felled and replaced with native Birch, Rowan and Alder. They call them the pioneer species.

We enter Cashel Forest. It is known as the Forest for a Thousand Years. Here the ancient Forest is being restored to its former glory.

There are a few places where the trail runs along the only road in these parts and more than one driver was a little close for comfort.

We came across a steep climb that got the cardio system pumping as we had to climb to get around a large rocky outcrop. The views from the top were worth it. The descent however made my old knees let me know they were not happy.

It remained a warm and humid day. It made me rather sweaty and with little breeze it was not getting better any time soon.

The Ben Lomond Bunkhouse was a lovely little place. It is the local HQ for the rangers that look after Ben Lomond mountain and the local forests, flora and fauna. It also has a room with bunk beds for the ladies and a separate one for the gents. So Debbie and I sleep apart. Run by the extremely affable Alex and her dog Jack, the place is a little haven off the trial. We caught up with our washing, played with the dog, met our fellow walkers lodging with us and just had a wonderful chilled out evening. This was a day to nearly recover from Conic Hill. The weather held. Lets hope for more tomorrow.

The Midges, the scourge of the Highlands, on a scale of 5 were a 3 today. The little sweethearts. We will have them for company now for days ahead.

Gadzooks!

I am sat in the Oak Tree Inn typing this up and every part of us aches. Today was the toughest day of walking I have ever done including the 42 days of the Camino.

It started out easy enough. We made a pit stop in the Drymen Chemists to get some better insoles for my boots, paracetamol and some blister plasters. Drymen is really the last place to stock up for a while.

We left the town on another misty morning and began a gentle climb up into the foothills to the north of Drymen.

By 10am the mist was beginning to burn off and by noon the sun was beating down again.

So much of the track was without shade and the heat from the sun and coming up from the track was already making life uncomfortable. It was calm to there was no cooling breeze.

The big difference between this and the Camino Frances is that on the Camino there are always places to stop a few kilometres apart to slake your thirst and take 5. On this walk once you leave Drymen there is nothing until Balmaha.

The first sight of Conic Hill came into view. We needed to cross it. Whilst it is not big the ascent was on very loose rocks and stones. In the heat it was tough going. It took us just over an hour to get to the top with multiple rest stops on the way. It was tough. Really tough. There was no breeze. even at the top. The temperature got to 26C and climbing in that with a 10 kg backpack  was a real test of physical and mental stamina. Tough enough to make you question why.

Then, once at the top, the descent was equally tough on our hips and knees scrambling down loose scree to start with and then a rock staircase. Mind you the views of Loch Lomond were simply magnificent.

I can tell you that the sight of the Oak Tree Inn in Balmaha came just in time as I was at my energies end.

We had run out of water some time ago as there are no filling points anywhere so the first thing we did was rehydrate. Debbie had the foresight to go to the corner shop and get us some Powerade to replace the salts and fluids we lot. 

It is taking me some time to recover, replace lost fluids and ease tense muscles and joints. 

Tomorrow should be an easier walk north along Loch Lomond. Blisters allowing.

My Garmin has just beeped and told be to move. It can go F**k itself.

It was a misty start to the day. The forecast was for another warm energy sapping day.

We gathered after breakfast with quite a few other walkers to get the obligatory photos with the obelisk and sign that mark the start of The West Highland Way. 

IT’S THAT WAY!

The path strikes north from the town centre and quickly winds its way into tress and moorland. It climbs steadily away from Milngavie which gives the cardio vascular system an early workout.

We chatted to other walkers along the path. Everybody walks at their own pace. Some faster . Some slower. Its not a race.

As the sun climbed in the sky the sun burned away the mist. At times there was no cooling breeze and it become quite stifling under the sun. Moving into shade was most welcome.

The body has yet to acclimatise itself fully to the work being asked of it. Muscles are complaining and the heat coming up from the ground really makes your feet work. Both of us have picked up blisters from having damp feet. But Nil Desperandum. They have been treated and we move on. You would be forgiven for thinking that we were in the Lord of The Rings land with sign posts to beware of Hobbits and to the shire along the way.

The section of the way measures 12 miles. It was a tough 12 miles. The last 3 are on tarmac along country lanes and that’s tough going on the feet.

We were both very glad to arrive out of accommodation for tonight. The Buchanan Arms in Drymen. We were a little surmised to see walkers arriving in the dark.

According to my Garmin I walked 33900 steps. My feet are saying its lying. It must be more!

Tomorrow we climb over Conic Hill. Distance wise it is a modest 7 miles but with the ascent and descent it will be a test. I will leave you with a few photos of the day.